diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 7d73e5288..53113ed4d 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ Other fixes:
  - All: Improve export headers (fixes mgba.io/i/1738)
  - Core: Ensure ELF regions can be written before trying
  - Core: Fix reported ROM size when a fixed buffer size is used
+ - Core: Fix memory leak loading ELF files
  - Debugger: Don't skip undefined instructions when debugger attached
  - FFmpeg: Fix some small memory leaks
  - FFmpeg: Fix encoding of time base
diff --git a/src/core/core.c b/src/core/core.c
index 76c97a927..3b82e76cb 100644
--- a/src/core/core.c
+++ b/src/core/core.c
@@ -387,9 +387,11 @@ bool mCoreLoadELF(struct mCore* core, struct ELF* elf) {
 		if (block && bsize >= phdr->p_filesz && esize > phdr->p_offset && esize >= phdr->p_filesz + phdr->p_offset) {
 			memcpy(block, &bytes[phdr->p_offset], phdr->p_filesz);
 		} else {
+			ELFProgramHeadersDeinit(&ph);
 			return false;
 		}
 	}
+	ELFProgramHeadersDeinit(&ph);
 	return true;
 }